DENVER – In a $40,000 package buy, Denver area credit unions are stepping up their TV advocacy advertising this month and in the process getting favorable exposure on local talk shows and on Internet links. "This is a good example of what credit unions can do when they combine their efforts in negotiating co-op advertising," declared Grace Stanton, senior vice president of marketing at the Colorado Credit Union League. The League put together the advocacy campaign on behalf of 52 credit unions which are members of the Denver Area Chapter in a deal negotiated with NBC Channel 9. As part of the package, initial CU exposure was to be debuted on a popular morning talk show, "Colorado & Company" which followed the morning "Today" Show on Oct. 20, International Credit Union Day. Featured on the live seven-minute show were interview appearances by three Denver CEOs: John Uchida, Space Age FCU; Sandy Neves, Fitzsimons Community FCU and Michael Litzau, Colorado Central CU. The three had been prepped earlier in the week for the interviews and had visited the Channel 9 set, noted Stanton. The overall ad series includes the purchase of three 15-second commercials to be aired more than 80 times throughout October on the station's top-rated 9News, said the League. The commercials, informational in nature and targeting 25-54 year olds, began running Oct. 7 and will continue through the first week of November, the League noted. Each commercial directs viewers to the 9News Web site where visitors "learn more about the credit union difference and how to locate a credit union in their community." League officials said this is the first time TV has been used to promote CU advocacy on such a broad scale. Previous campaigns have used bus billboards and other vehicles. "We basically got a real nice package from the station," said Stanton noting the ads will appear on all of the prime time news shows including Today, Jay Leno and on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. Regarding the "Colorado & Company" segment, Stanton said "a streaming video of the segment will be available on the 9News Web site for six months" and in addition participating CUs will be provided with a link for their own Web site. Questions were supplied to the talk show hosts, she said, and the three CEOs are planning to discuss the history and structure of CUs and their community role. "This kind of a program gives Denver credit unions a chance to save their marketing dollars on explaining what a credit union is and the differences, etc.," said Stanton. Their ad dollars can be used for other purposes. One other element of the package includes a CU call-in on 9News slated for Oct. 31 with eight CU representatives taking calls from viewers. "This will be kind of a help line appearing on the 6 a.m. morning news," said Stanton. The entire Chapter advertising campaign is part of an overall move toward a statewide branding campaign being examined by the League Board, she said. "This will be a good test of how all this works," said Stanton who joined the League in March and formerly headed her own product launching agency doing work for Kraft Foods and another firms. [email protected]